(S03E15) Holy. Frikkin. Frak!
You all speculated on it, but you couldn't believe it was true. Heck, even I mentioned it in a previous post. I just didn't realize that Hart Hanson and his writers would actually do it. Some people are going to be happy, some will be sad, and some will be downright angry about who turned out to be Gormogon's apprentice.
Now, I'm not going to reveal who it is on this page, because I would be pulled out of my house and systematically flogged. So, if you have not watched the season finale of Bones DO NOT JUMP AHEAD! If you did watch the episode, then click forward and read on.
I have got to hand it to the folks who put Bones together -- they really kept me on the edge of my seat for most of this episode. It could have been either Hodgins or Sweets who were either Gormogon himself or his apprentice. And, the writers emphasized that point as much as they could with the mounting evidence against them.
For example, where was Sweets when the lab explosion occurred? And, was it Hodgin's house that was the secret residence for Gormogon? It really made you go back and forth in thought: it could be Sweets, but Hodgins seems to be more of a candidate because of his interest in secret societies. Yet, Sweets is big at manipulating people for his own needs. So, he could have been the one who stole the silver skeleton (especially since he mentioned it to Bones and Booth in a joking manner). Of course, Hodgins may actually be the person since it looked like he gave Zack pain medicine right before he was going to reveal something important.
These were great distractions to pull us away from the person who actually did it -- Dr. Zack Addy. Wow. Who would've thunk it? I mean, I speculated but thought that it was a long shot. The thought was either Gormogon or his apprentice would be totally outside of the Jeffersonian. Never did I think that Zack would have the balls to become Gormogon's helper, let alone kill someone for him? Wasn't he sent home from Iraq because he never really fit in amongst all of the mayhem taking place over there?
It's probably not all that far-fetched that Zack was the apprentice just by thinking back to all of his appearances this past season. Zack became so unemotional this past year that he made Mr. Spock look emotionally-balanced. As he stepped further and further away from his emotions, he tightened his grip on his logic--to the point that his logic became flawed. Is this what happens when emotions are stripped away to be replaced by an almost mechanized reaction to everything? Something for the philosophers reading this review to ponder.
When it was revealed that Zack was the apprentice, and the murderer of the lobbyist, it was shocking. And, very sad. Not only to us viewers, but to all of the people in Zack's life. Particularly the women, who were all just devastated about this. Cam and Bones were hurt the most. Did you see the look on Cam's face when she realized that Zack was the apprentice? The stock market hasn't fallen that fast in recent memory. Then, watching Cam, Angela and Bones at the ICU window as they took one of the last glances they would have of the Zack that they knew. It was heart-breaking.
And, how about the identity of Gormogon himself? A nobody -- just like all other serial killers. Just another person who believes that they are more superior to others. Except, this time around, he got several people to join him in his beliefs. For some of you out there the death of this person was probably a bit underwhelming. Personally, this was the right ending for this serial killer; he was born a no one and died a no one.
Man, that episode took quite a bit out of me, so let's just finish this review with a round-up of the other things that went on during the season finale.
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This was a big-time Squint episode. Their finest moment was when they were all crowded around the mandible throwing out ideas of its origins. Now that we know that Zack was the apprentice it was a poignant scene as it will probably be the last time we see all of them together.
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Booth's funeral was one of the weaker moments in this very strong episode. While the events leading up to the funeral were good, the funeral scene itself seemed a bit disjointed. Still, it provided an avenue for some serious emotions from Temperance Brennan and her feelings towards Booth.
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Bones punching Booth: he certainly had it coming -- not telling his partner of three years that he wasn't quite dead. National Security, Shmational Blecurity, I say! By the way, who was that guy that Booth brought down at the funeral?
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For some of you out there the scene of David Boreanaz in his bathtub was the highlight of the episode, especially when he stood up. Temperance's reaction wasn't too surprising. Gosh, I'm sure she seen her share of bats and balls in her day.
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Limbo. Have we seen that room at all this year? Other than in the credits, that is. Still, it was good place to see all of Bones' graduate students gathered in one place. Maybe one of them will be the newest member of the Squints in the next season.
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While I have found Sweets endaring over the last few episodes, I found him to a bit manipulative this time around. Keeping Bones out of the know about Booth's fake death was a bit mean. Now that he's out of the loop as either Gormogon or his apprentice it looks like we will be seeing a good bit of him in the fourth season.
Folks, that's it for season three of Bones. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and I hope to see you back here in late August for the beginning of season four.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-20-2008 @ 3:05AM
eugene said...
so... i missed it, if zack blew his hands up, who stole the skeleton when the cameras/guards were tied up?
On the other hand, I thought this episode was pretty disapointing from a story aspect but I thought the individual performances and the directing was pretty good. I thought they really sold Hidgins as a possible candidate and the scenes with him dripped creepy.
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5-20-2008 @ 9:12AM
Leenie said...
Zack created the explosion as a diversion for Gormogon to steal the silver skeleton. Zack has full access to the lab and with that being the case and Zack being Gormogon's apprentice, he probably gave his pass to Gormogon and nearly sacrificed himself in order to let Gormogon get the silver skeleton.
5-20-2008 @ 3:08AM
Erica said...
Making Zack the apprentice?? Lame, and came out of nowhere. Did they really have to assassinate his character just to wrap up a storyline?
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5-20-2008 @ 3:08AM
nickmagoo said...
zack...ok, i can buy it - but it felt like a tacked on ending/wrap up of the whole case, due to the strike i assume. i would've preferred a stronger and fuller explanation (perhaps carried into next season) as to why and how zack came under this 'nobody's' sphere of influence.
and seriously, zack committed MURDER. he stuck a knife in someone's HEART. no prison??? thoroughly unbelievable. for people working as crime fighters to easily accept the bogus insanity plea shows a shocking disregard for the victims...
boreanaz deserves an emmy for his comedic timing in the bathtub scene - he gets better and better (wasn't a big fan of angel frankly, which is why it took me so long to get into this show). sweets has an interesting new twist in his desire for the spotlight and using people to get there (perhaps jealous of bones' bestsellers?).
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5-20-2008 @ 11:28AM
Bob said...
I agree, all of it feels tacked on and is example of the exaxct kind of writing and poor plot that I watch Bones to get away from.
Considering that Zach shipped off to Iraqi a few seasons ago, this feels like what happens when an actor wants out or wants too much money.
5-20-2008 @ 3:30AM
Klein said...
In short, I hated it.
A contrived and weak ending to what was setup to be a terrific story and season.
Step back and think about what essential elements of the show's chemistry was lost in a single episode:
1. King of the Lab
2. Young Apprentice for Brennan
3. Zack bringing out the mothers in what are otherwise rather stoic characters.
4. Zack's brilliance to rival Brennan and his peers
And, if you're a fan of the show, I'm sure if you think about it you'll be able to add to the list. Even if they bring Zach back in some capacity - it won't be the same.
The Gormogon story arc was several episodes of great setup but the only pay-off was the casualty of a fantastic character. I believe tonight's episode was my last.
What a waste.
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5-20-2008 @ 5:00AM
Nikki said...
Here is what I posted on IMDB:
In Episode 8 of Season 3 titled "The Knight on the Grid" the person who jumped out of the closet to attack the lobbyist was an actor by the name of James Immekus credited as Gormogon's Apprentice for this particular episode only.
here is his imdb page with image:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1851040/
and the full cast list for episode 8:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1129501/fullcredits#cast
If you pause this episode at 42:40 you can clearly see that Immekus is the killer not Zach and not Sweets. On top of that the writers completely ignored the history of Gormogon.
-Gormogon is always fatherless, therefore, the apprentice would be fatherless. Zach's parents are alive and well.
I understand that Eric Milligan was set to leave the show but I would have rather he die instead ruining what I felt was very good, the Gormogon storyline.
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5-20-2008 @ 5:08AM
Cj said...
I LOVE THIS SHOW BUT WAS UPSET WHEN ZACK DID IT THEY WERE LIKE A FAMILY. WILL MISS HIM. WHAT A WASTE HE WAS A GOOD CHARACTER.
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5-20-2008 @ 6:30AM
Boomfoxx said...
I agree with most of the people here. What a waste. Zach meets a guy at a conference 3 months ago and suddenly he's a killer?
That said, maybe this is just a casualty of the writer's strike. A few things they could have added to the season make me accept this better: 1) Zach comes back from Iraq with some sort of emotional distress that makes him more impressionable to Gormogon's influence, and/or 2) Make the comparison of Zach's pro-murder logic to the testimony that Sweet's gave about Bones (during the episode with her father's trial) where he stated that she was hyper-rational and could justify murder.
I don't think either of these would have made me like the direction they took the story, but maybe I'd at least accept it a little more.
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5-20-2008 @ 4:22PM
Michael Moncur said...
Shark.
Jumped.
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5-20-2008 @ 7:32AM
keithnl said...
This whole episode felt a little rushed, I can't wait till next season when we can stop blaming everything on the writers strike, although who knows how long it will be before things get back to normal.
Anyway like everyone else I'll blame everything on the strike and the need to get everything tied up. It would of been nice to see it played out a little longer, but Im glad Zach turned out to be th assistant when is the last time a show completely a-s f--ked a major character.
Imagine how sweet it would of been if C.S.I had the stones/desperation to make the miniature killer one of their own.
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5-20-2008 @ 7:50AM
Sverre said...
Terrible, just terrible! I disliked the funeral part, but I HATED what they did to Zack. This was the worst character assassination in a TV show since the destruction of Cordelia Chase.
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5-20-2008 @ 8:23AM
bruce said...
Zack Addy is a murderer? HE is Gormogon's apprentice??! This was by far the lamest thing I've ever seen in my life. Dr. Sweets would have been lame, but Zack, who has been there since the first episode of the first season, suddenly became Gormogon's apprentice "about 3 months ago"? By far the worst, most unbelievable plot "twist" ever. There's just no way. No way. How stupid. I'm insulted that the Bones writers thought I would find this realistic and entertaining. Absolutel insulted. The writers must think I'm a stupid ass.
What's worse is that I saw an interview with Eric Milligan that indicates he had no desire to leave the show, and this was purely a "creative decision" to mix things up. Eric Milligan, a cast member since day one, was kicked off the show (yes, he's gone) so they could do this? THIS!!!!???!!!
Never before have I actually felt that an episode would be better, and make more sense, if it turned out to be a dream. I have some hope for this - Did anyone notice that this episode started off with Brennan talking to a fading-away Booth (from last week's gunshot)? That could be a big clue that the whole episode is in fact Booth's dream while he's unconscious from the Fat Pam gunshot. Everyone was acting out of character (as was pointed out previously). The entire episode was surreal.
So either it's the worst episode of Bones to ever exist, and the worst writing of any TV series ever. Or, it will be revealed as a bad "dream" episode next season as Booth awakens from his surgery/coma and tells everyone "I had the strangest dream! Bones, you thought I was dead, and I was at my own funeral, and Sweets was on TV, and the Jeffersonian was Purgatory (with infinite rows of glowing skeleton-boxes all the way to the horizon), and Zack was Gormogon's assistant because he thought it was the logical thing to do!"
They could actually turn it into a dream sequence that, while stupid, would be better than your average "last episode was just a dream" episode. Anyone notice how the "purgatory" section of the Jeffersonian had infinitely long walls of skeleton-boxes going as far back s the eye could see - in several rows. It was surreal. Never seen that room before, and similar rooms we've seen were not perpetually-long. I'm really hoping it was all a dream. A dream would be more realistic and make more sense than this stupidity as a "real" episode.
But according to the interview w/ TV Guide, they have no intention of doing that - Zack is gone, locked up in the loony bin because Gormogon, who after all this time turned out to be a complete nobody - WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME! - convinced Zack, one of the forensic guys working on identifying him and locking him up, to be his 'apprentice' and murder people. Next season Brennan has to find a new assistant (probably the guy who almost replaced Zack when he went to Iraq). I would have been much happier if Zack had just stayed in iraq... and if Eric Millegan wanted to or needed to leave the show, they had the perfect opportunity with him being 'drafted' to Iraq.
I'm so pissed off. I've never been more insulted by a TV show in my life. And anyone who even considers this as being a "clever unsuspected twist" should have their TV smashed.
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5-20-2008 @ 4:14PM
Suetu said...
Bruce,
Tell us how you really feel. ;-)
5-20-2008 @ 8:31AM
Mandy said...
'And, was it Hodgin's house that was the secret residence for Gormogon?"
That's what made me think it was Zach, since Zach lives in Hodgin's garage.
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5-20-2008 @ 9:43AM
Claire said...
no. it was a different house in his neighborhood. similar but not the same.
5-20-2008 @ 12:06PM
Mandy said...
Yes, I misread the review. I was thinking of the scene where Cam and Hodgins are discussing the homes with lead pipes and Cam says that is Hodgins' neighborhood. That made me think of Zach since Zach lives in Hodgins' garage. But Claire is right — the house that ended up being Gormogon's was similar to but not the same house as Hodgins'.
5-20-2008 @ 8:34AM
Gabi said...
I hate what they did to Zack! Stupidest thing ever!!! All I could think in the end was NO NO NO NO NO NO please not Zack. My favorite character since day one. WTH have have they done?? Nothing will ever be the same, so much of the things that made Bones great will now be gone. And for what? One shocking episode?
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5-20-2008 @ 8:34AM
David said...
The funeral was exceptionally weak (they don't tell us who the suspect is or why he has a gun at a funeral [uh, Booth is dead; what is he going to shoot?!?]).
The Zack storyline was even weaker.
The writing on this show, season over season, has gone downhill, and it wasn't that spectacular to start with. Season 1 was better than Season 3, imho.
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5-20-2008 @ 9:44AM
bruce said...
I watched the episode again this morning, and I'm just as pissed off as I was last night. Dumbest thing ever. The Bones writers are literally saying "we think you [Bones fan] are a moron." Oh yeah? Screw you, assholes.
Aside from the "twist" with Zack, about which I won't rehash my feelings (see my post above), the writing in this episode was horrendously bad. From Caroline calling everyone "Sherrie" every time she opened her mouth, to Cam calmly walking in to the room and saying to Booth and Bones "There's something in the vault you guys need to see" when the friggin' Gormogon skeleton had been stolen, this reached a new pinnacle of bad writing. Assuming this episode was not Booth's dream, the funeral scene was meant to trick us for a few minutes into thinking Booth actually died. Seriously? Seriously???! Talk about disrespecting your audience. Again, these lazy idiot writers think I'm a total moron and an obtuse jerkoff.
I don't see how the Gormogon skeleton could have been stolen? Clearly Zack couldn't have done it. That means we're supposed to believe the explosion allowed Gormogon to physically sneak into the Jeffersonian himself and steal it. Come on.
Obviously this was a rush job and casualty of the writer's strike. But there was absolutely no reason the Gormogon arc had to be finished this season. Just like the arcs with the Gravedigger and Angela's husband/divorce, its resolution could have been saved for later and done correctly. Not rushed with a "jump the shark" conclusion.
Everyone involved with writing this episode should be dragged out into the street and shot. What stupid, arrogant, lazy, insipid bastards! Wow. Just.... wow.
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